We’ve all perhaps been part of the army of “zombie pedestrians” as we make our way around the streets of the United Kingdom glued to our mobile phones.

And, with that in mind, it could have been any one of us who were walking blithely across the tram tracks in Manchester this week while checking social media or sending text messages.

As witnessed by i, they appeared casually indifferent to the approaching Metrolink tram that has tooted its horn in the distance.

Some also failed to notice the huge blue crane lying at an angle on the pavement after one of its giant wheels fell into a hole outside Debenhams.

And they also failed to spot the robber – armed with a knife – who is fleeing at speed across the tracks chased by a woman who is loudly shouting: “Stop thief!”

A nation addicted to phones

Figures from Ofcom last month showed that we’ve become a nation addicted to our phones – with the average British adult checking their screens every 12 minutes of the waking day.

And Piccadilly Gardens is just one of the tens of thousands of streets across the UK where phones are said to be distracting pedestrians from the world around them – and leaving them at risk of coming into contact with traffic.

There are signs that the problem of “zombie pedestrians” could be getting worse, with a government transport advisor warning this week that road signs need to be placed on the ground to guide those glued to their handsets.

Shaun Helman, who advises ministers and transport authorites around the world, said redesigning streets would have a “greater impact” on preventing accidents from pedestrians on their phones than trying to change behaviour.

Suggestions have included embedding strips of red lights on kerbs or special lanes on pavements marked “text walking lanes”.

It’s hard not to get sucked in. When you take your phone out to look at it, you just don’t think about it do you. I think it’s a problem, but I don’t put earplugs in and you do see some people wearing them. You have to think about what you’re doing.

Susan Tracey, Manchester commuter

In Manchester, the Metrolink network launched a safety video earlier this year aimed at encouraging people to “stay safe, be aware and take care” on roads where pedestrians cross the tracks.

‘Don’t let this be your final song’

It shows a mobile phone user absorbed in choosing a song on their phone walking in front of the bright headlights of a tram with the words: “Don’t let this be your final song.”

“Metrolink has been operating through pedestrian areas for more than 25 years and has an excellent safety record,” says Danny Vaughan, Transport for Greater Manchester’s head of Metrolink.

“That said, all too often, drivers are having to sound their horns or apply their brakes to avoid hitting someone because they are too distracted by other things, usually their mobile phones.

”The last thing we want to see is someone seriously injured or killed because they’re more focused on their Spotify playlist or YouTube video than an operational tram network.

“Drivers undergo rigorous training to deal with these types of hazards, but my pleas is for people to make sure they are vigilant when walking across and near our tram lines.”

Dutch tourists Lena and Lex Poortvliet were using their mobiles to find an English breakfast in Manchester. (Photo: Jon Super)

In the US, a sharp rise in pedestrian deaths has been partly blamed on people using their smartphones while crossing the road.

The US Governors’ Highway Safety Association estimated there were 6,000 pedestrian deaths in 2016, the highest number in more than 20 years. Its report said phones can be a “significant source of distraction for both drivers and pedestrians”.

I can always hear vehicles as I’m crossing the road. It’s common sense really – you have to have a proper look and wait until its safe to cross. You do see a lot of people crossing and not looking. I play Pokemon Go and you do see people looking at the ground as they go along. It’s about keeping aware of your surroundings.

Brandon Marshall from Manchester

Concerns have raised following a series of incidents around the world. In 2013, a woman walked straight into a freezing canal in Birmingham while engrossed in a text to her boyfriend and last year, a woman was filmed by CCTV wandering into a vehicle parking lift in China before being hit by a car.

‘We’ve all seen it happen’

“Ten or twenty years ago, the issue was children running after a ball that had gone into the road,” says Sergeant Brian McGill, from Greater Manchester Police’s Safer Roads Targeting Team. “We’ve all seen it happen in the last few years, where people have walked into the road while looking at their phones.

”The safety advice would be for people to make sure they concentrate when they preparing to cross the road. It’s really a case of going back to the Green Cross Code and doing the basic things like looking and listening before they cross.“

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) says adding signs to the pavement may not immediately solve the problem.

”We know that this is a significant problem,“ says Kevin Clinton, RoSPA’s head of road safety.

”While we don’t have exact numbers, we do know that pedestrians – particularly teenagers and young adults – are stepping out into roads without looking, so this is a serious issue.“

We’re actually looking for somewhere to go for an English breakfast. We’re using our phones to follow directions on a map. I don’t think people can live without their phones anymore.

Lena Poortvliet, Dutch tourist in Manchester

He adds: ”The idea of putting signs or markings on the pavement at the roadside is an interesting and reasonable idea, but people have to see the signs in the first instance and then understand what they mean and change their behaviour, so it won’t immediately solve the problem.

“As with other safety issues on the road, a mix of interventions will probably be needed.”

Brandon Marshall from Manchester says people need to use their common sense. (Photo: Jon Super)

‘Pavement signs will not immediately solve the problem’

Some cities around the world are taking measures to counter the issue. In the Bavarian town of Augsburg, the train station has fitted red and green lights in the ground to warn people who “stubbornly look at their smartphone”.

The Dutch town of Bodegraven has run trials of traffic lights that project a red or green lighting strip across pavements.

But some road users say that, while distracted pedestrians can be an issue, the real problem lies elsewhere.

“Sure, pedestrians stepping off the pavement without looking can be a problem for people on bikes,” says Pete Abel from Manchester-based cycling campaign group Love Your Bike.

“But they are nowhere near as dangerous as drivers speeding in residential areas, driving whilst using mobile phones, jumping red lights or cars blocking pavements are to people walking or cycling.

”The police and government need to focus resources on the key safety issues.“

I probably see people on their phones stepping into the road 20 to 30 times during my shift. If a driver had their phone in their hand they would get a fine, but pedestrians are constantly looking at their phones and not concentrating. If you travel just a mile down the road, you’ll see two or three people doing the same.

Manchester taxi driver Mohammed Afzal

‘We have a rose-tinted view that before phones we were all chatting to each other’

Dr Bex Lewis, a senior lecturer in digital marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, says the issue should not be taken at face value and further questions need to be asked.

”It’s very easy to fall into the narrative that everyone is now engrossed in their phones, and that they are not paying attention to the rest of the world,“ Dr Lewis says.

”There are definitely some people who fall into this category, but we have a slightly rose-tinted view that before phones we were all chatting to each other, and paying attention to the world.

“One question we really need to ask is more about what people are doing on their phones, rather than how much or the fact that they are on them.

”I am quite likely to be using my phone whilst out because I’m using it as a map, or I’m out exploring and using the ‘Around Me’ app, or I’m getting some exercise by catching Pokemon. There’s no excuse for people not to be paying attention to people around them, and to traffic.

“It’s more likely that there are other reasons people won’t intervene when someone has their phone snatched,” she adds, “including fears of getting involved and becoming a target, and an expectation – particularly in a big city – that someone else will sort it out.”

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